New Feature on iOS 9 Automatically Switches to Cellular Data When Wifi is Poor

The new iOS 9 beta showed us two new interesting features – firstly it allows your phone connectivity to switch to your data connection, when the Wi-Fi signal is low and secondly, it allows Wi-Fi calling for AT&T subscribers.

As of now, the iPhone can connect, or attempt to connect to a known Wi-Fi hotspot that is within range, even if the connection is too weak to transmit data. So, the solution to this problem has been to disable the iPhone’s Wi-Fi radio. However, with the the “Wi-Fi Assist” option in the iOS 9 beta, one can go to the “Cellular” menu in the Settings app, and enable the feature, it will then force your device to switch to a 3G or 4G connection when the Wi-Fi signal drops. The feature also notifies you by making the icon turn grey, indicating that the Wi-Fi is being switched off.

Reports also suggest that the iOS 9 beta enables Wi-Fi calling for AT&T subscribers, providing them with incoming and outgoing calls to a local wireless network, and thereby offering a more reliable connection, enhanced audio quality and better battery performance.

However, the iOS 9 beta is exclusive to only developers, for now. Reports suggest that this has been done in order to “avoid causing too much aggravation with bugs or poor performance.” Therefore, one might have to wait for a few more days/weeks until the iOS 9 becomes public.